Exercising at least twice a week can significantly cut the risk of insomnia, research has suggested.
The study published in the journal BMJ Open found people who work out regularly are 42% less likely to have trouble getting to sleep and 22% less likely to report symptoms of insomnia.
Those who maintain an exercise regime long term were also found to be 55% more likely to be normal sleepers, getting six to eight hours sleep a night, than people who were not active.
The study found consistent exercisers were about a third (29%) less likely to be short sleepers (or under six hours per night). This cohort was 52% less likely to sleep for a very long time too, or more than nine hours a night.
Sleep hygiene
The research team analysed data on 4,339 people, with a roughly equal gender split, from nine European countries. Participants were asked about their exercise habits at the start of the study and again a decade later.
They were also asked about any insomnia symptoms, such as difficulty getting to sleep, staying asleep, waking too early, and how long they normally slept.
People who worked out at least twice per week, for at least an hour per week, were designated as physically active. Those who were still at this level 10 years later were classed as persistently active (25%) by researchers, while 37% were found to be persistently non-active.
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Norwegians were most likely to be persistently active, while those from Spain and Estonia were most likely to be continually inactive.
The analysis concluded that “physically active people have a lower risk of some insomnia symptoms and extreme sleep durations, both long and short”. However, the researchers also warned that any sleep benefits can disappear if people stop exercising.
